Rockland Police say multiple people have fallen victim to fraudulent local rental scams.
The department issued an alert Saturday, March 26. Rockland police the victims have found advertisements online, including on Craigslist, that offer houses and apartments for rent.
“Through these frauds, local citizens have lost thousands of dollars, with the money often ending up overseas,” Rockland police stated in their notice.
“The scammers go to great lengths to appear legitimate, including sending real photographs of the property and fraudulent lease/rental documents using the real property owners name and personal information. This information is often gathered from legitimate real estate listings or other public records and used by the scammer to make the transaction appear above board,” the department stated.
Rockland Police suggest never sending payment electronically without first meeting the property owner in person and touring the property. Other ways to protect yourself from being scammed are by using known rental service like Airbnb, etc., the department stated.
The increase is occurring as the housing market becomes out-of-reach for many local people and those looking to move here for jobs. There are postings daily by people seeking housing either because they are moving here or they have to move because the apartment building they are in is being sold.
